Archive for : Ma’yan

Today is the UN’s International Day of the Girl, an awesome day dedicated to speaking out against gender bias and advocating for girls’ rights everywhere. While the need for a day focused on girls’ rights might not be immediately obvious, across the globe there are many issues that girls still face including:

Illiteracy – It’s estimated that by 2015, women will make up 64% of the world’s adult population who cannot read.Forced marraige – One in seven girls in the developing world is married off before age 15.Violence – In America, 54% of all rapes of females happen before the age of 18.Body image – More than half of 3rd-5th graders in America worry about their appearance and 37% worry about weight.

Across the globe, people are standing up against these issues and celebrating the Day of the Girl by highlighting, discussing, and advancing girls’ lives and opportunities. Find out how you can join in on the movement here, plug into the Day of the Girl Virtual Summit, or join an official Day of the Girl event here.

Meanwhile, over at Repair the World, we thought we would celebrate by sharing some of our favorite girl and woman empowerment organizations. Check them out!

Moving Traditions: This organizations’ popular program Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing! has inspired more than 10,000 pre-teen and teenage girls across the country to join in the monthly celebration of the ancient New Moon holiday while building self-esteem, leadership skills, and Jewish identity.

Ma’yan: This non-profit and education incubator focuses a feminist lens on the cultural challenges and identity issues facing Jewish girls in contemporary society. Their research, programming and community events help participants grow into critical, curious, and committed global citizens.

Care: This humanitarian organization works to fight global poverty, placing a special focus on women.

Girls Inc.: The goal of this organization is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Their programs help girls navigate gender, economic and social barriers, while equipping them with the tools for health and success.

The Girl Effect This website focuses on the unique potential of the world’s 600,000 adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world.

Smart Girls at the Party Led by awesome (and awesomely funny) smart girl Amy Poehler, this interactive social network empowers girls to change the world by being themselves.

“That’s not fair!” is often a plaint you hear from young children when things do not go their way or if a sibling receives the bigger half of the cookie. But Ma’yan, an organization dedicated to turning young women into critical thinkers and leaders, has transformed the phrase from an immature sounding whine to a rallying cry for fairness and justice with their political theater workshop program. Back in April, Repair reported on this particular work when the apprentices performed at the Manhattan JCC. But what if you were not fortunate to attend one of their four shows? Or what if you’d like to bring their work and method to your city or town?Read more

That’s Not Fair! Virtually everyone has uttered that phrase once before, and likely many times – when someone cuts in line or says something intentionally hurtful; or when a hidden societal injustice gets exposed. Last night, that ubiquitous cry was further illuminated at The JCC in Manhattan during, That’s Not Fair: a performance by The Ma’yan Political Theatre Apprentices.

The cast of eight performers – junior high and high school girls ranging from age 12 to 17 – were in fine form, weaving together theatre, puppetry and music in an ensemble exploration of tough questions surrounding privilege, power and oppression. “Most of the content was taken from things we experience in our every day lives,” said performer, Esther Lenchner. From there, they collaboratively created images and scenes (along with their artistic director, political theatre veteran Jenny Romaine) that educated the audience without forcing them to a particular viewpoint. “We don’t have all the answers,” said Dylan Corn – so we wanted to let the audience draw their own conclusions.